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A thug who tasered a man in the neck after bursting into a block of flats in Scarborough has been jailed for more than six years.

John Henry Blake, 30, rushed into the building armed with a stun gun disguised as a torch and fired at the 28-year-old victim.

The shocking scenes occurred at a multi-occupancy building for young people with behavioural problems, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor David Hall said Blake entered the property with two females, including his teenage niece Ellie-Mae Blake. They banged on the victim’s door.

The victim opened the door “in a cautious way, with his shoulder against it”, said the barrister.

“Ellie-Mae Blake and the other female pushed past him and ran into the hallway, followed by the defendant,” he added.

“He (John Blake) is seen to push an instrument into the neck of (the victim), who recoils against the corner of the door frame and rushes outside the building.

“Just behind (the victim) was a second male. Blake points the implement at this second male in the doorway. The male cowers away fearfully.”

Blake and the two females then rushed upstairs where they tried to force their way into a flat on the second floor, “but the occupants refused to respond”, said Mr Hall.

“Blake is holding the stun gun,” he added. “Ellie-Mae Blake is kicking at the door. The occupants are refusing to come out and this group then leaves.”

Police were called to the building in Victoria Court, off Albemarle Back Road, just after the incident at about 10.50pm on February 6 last year.

The victim told them he had been tasered in the neck but was too fearful to make a complaint. He suffered a “significant red mark” to his neck.

Mr Hall said the attack appeared to stem from a “dispute” between the attackers and a male who lived at the block of flats.

Police arrested Blake at his home in Scarborough but he refused to reveal the whereabouts of the weapon, which was at the home of Blake’s pal Lewis Hardy.

The court heard that Hardy, 19, had been guarding the weapon for Blake but had taken no part in the attack. The torch-shaped stun gun was stamped with the word ‘Police’.

Mr Hall said that Blake, of The Croft, Newby, had dozens of previous convictions for burglaries, theft, criminal damage, violence, fraud and drink-related public disorder. He also had a conviction for a previous firearms offence in 2005, when he was caught in possession of a loaded air rifle and ammunition.

He appeared for sentence for the stun-gun incident on Friday after belatedly pleading guilty to possessing a disguised firearm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and failing to answer bail by skipping an earlier court hearing, which resulted in him being remanded in custody in October.

His lawyer David Camidge claimed it was not Blake who had originally been in possession of the gun and that his niece Ellie-Mae Blake, 19, had asked for it back “because she was fearful that she wouldn’t be able to get it back to where it had come from”.

Judge Paul Batty QC said John Blake had been the “leading light” in the terrifying incident and slammed him for his shocking criminal record.

He told the defendant: “You Tasered in the neck this young man who refused to make a statement. It doesn’t take a degree of imagination to understand why that is.”

Blake was jailed for six years and four months.

At a previous court hearing, Mr Batty jailed Ellie-Mae Blake, of Edgehill Road, Scarborough, for five years after she admitted possessing a disguised firearm.

Hardy, of Seamer Road, Scarborough, was given an 18-month suspended prison term for a similar offence. A third male was given the minimum five-year jail sentence for firearms possession.

FOUR people have been jailed for fraud offences after helping to scam thousands of pounds from people across the country.

Thomas Moffett, Elliot Reed, Nancy Shaw and Gary Oliphant were part of a group of 18 people sentenced for offences including conspiring to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering.

Lancashire Police made the arrests following two investigations.

The first investigation involved 32-year-old Moffett, of Bridge End in Barley, who was arrested by police in January 2013 for alleged offences as owner of Moth Communications Limited.

He ran the company from his bedroom at a former address in St Aidan’s Close, Blackburn.

Victims were told that they owed a debt and it should be paid immediately, otherwise bailiffs and the police would come to their address and seize property to the value of what was owed, usually several thousands of pounds.

The court heard that during October 2011 to December 2012, £127,000 of fraudulent cash to passed through his bank account.

The court heard how vulnerable people were targeted, including elderly owners of bed and breakfast hotels.

Shaw, from Pemberton Street, Blackburn, set up a business called The Business Hub Directory Ltd, while Reed, of Clitheroe Road, Whalley established a company called The Business Directory SEO UK Ltd.

The court heard Shaw allowed £59,000 of fraudulent cash to pass through her account between September 2012 and August 2013, while Reed’s company took £78,000 from victims between May 2012 and July 2013.

More than a dozen offenders involved in the network allowed their personal accounts to be used to launder the fraudulent money.

Oliphant admitted to money laundering and also allowing his home to be used for the purpose of fraud. He said he was aware of the scam and was present while some of the calls werehad been made.

She said: “This was a sophisticated fraud investigation in relation to a boiler room scam. Victims were bombarded with telephone calls. The calls were threatening and aggressive, stating they owe for a debt and that the payment should be made immediately.”

“Victims felt pressurised to pay the money, some parting with life savings and in other cases being forced to close down their businesses.”

Det con John Banks, of Blackburn CID, responsible for the second investigation with det con David Gill, added: “The investigation into Shaw, Reed and Oliphant was extensive and involved dealing with hundreds of victims throughout the country.

“The impact on the victims has not only been detrimental financially but also physically and mentally with some victims losing their businesses and becoming seriously ill as a result of these crimes.

Moffett, 32, was sentenced to two-years and 10 months in prison, Reed, 38, two-years and two months’ jail and Shaw, 50, two-years. All pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Oliphant, 42, of Campbell Street, Blackburn, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering, sentenced to and was jailed for two-years, and five months’ jail.

The following also pleaded guilty to money laundering as part of the scam: Marcus Moss, 44, of Vicarage Lane, Wilpshire, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two-years.

He was given 200 hours’ unpaid work; Reginald Gregory, 53, of Ivinson Road, Darwen, sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two-years.

He was given a 35-week curfew and electronically monitored; Samuel Dysart, 22, of Haslingden Road, Blackburn, sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two-years.

He was given 280 hours’ unpaid work; Zak Deaffern, 25, of Ratcliffe Street, Darwen sentenced to 22 weeks in prison suspended for two-years.